(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for folding paper used for printing presses and office machines and then cutting the paper, and more particularly to an apparatus for folding and cutting paper formed with longitudinally directed folds at regular intervals. The paper is folded at the folds in a zigzagged form and cut when a desired amount is folded. The present invention also relates to a mechanism for supporting paper being fed from the top.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
An apparatus for folding and cutting a continuous length of paper in a zigzag form at folds thereof is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,527.
In the prior art apparatus, the paper is swung to be folded in the zigzag form. The paper is then alternately fed to a folding station and the folded sheets of paper are longitudinally stacked on a conveyor.
In the apparatus, the paper is cut at a fold by a cutting edge which is located below the folding station. The cutting edge is wider than that of the folding station. However, when the paper descends from the folding station, the descending state varies with the thickness of the paper, and it has been difficult to properly time the insertion of the cutting edge.
Further, when the sheets are longitudinally stacked on the conveyor below the folding station, the folds normally rise to eliminate any space for inserting the cutting edge such that the cutting edge cannot be stably inserted into the folded portion of the paper. Therefore, the paper becomes caught at a portion other than the portion desired to be cut. This leads to troubles such as tearing off, jamming, and the like. Positive insertion and cutting are important so as to accurately cut the paper after a predetermined number of sheets are folded.
Also, various mechanisms and conveyors are known for supporting sheets of continuous paper folded in a zigzag form. However, when the sheets are merely supported on a plane, as in the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,527, the upper portion of the supported sheets becomes concaved as the number of supported sheets increases. The support surface is therefore conventionally formed into a convex form to maintain the upper portion substantially as a plane.
For example, there is generally disclosed a supporting mechanism comprising a bearer and a pair of rotatable bearers located at opposite ends of the first mentioned bearer. The rotatable bearers are designed so that, when the weight of the supported sheets increases, the side ends of the rotatable bearers descend to support the sheets of paper so that the uppermost surface of the sheets is planar, whereas when the sheets are removed from the bearers, the rotatable bearers are again horizontal to facilitate the removing operation.
Manual cutting is cumbersome and the working efficiency is poor. When the paper is cut before the sheets are folded, it is difficult to time the cutting operation to obtain the desired amount of folded sheets. Cumbersome control has to be used to positively effect the folding operation when the paper is folded after being cut.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for folding and cutting continuous paper while overcoming the aforementioned disadvantages.
As the folded sheets are fed from above, the folds remain inflated. It is difficult to overcome the inflated state by just the weight of the stacked sheets. But the steps of cutting the sheets removing the sheets from the supporting mechanism, and packing the sheets cannot be carried out smoothly unless the inflated state is eliminated.
In the prior art, the sheets are merely successively stacked and the inflated state of the folds is not eliminated.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a mechanism for supporting folded sheets of continuous paper while overcoming the disadvantages noted above.
The aforementioned disadvantages resulting from automation may be overcome by cutting sheets of continuous paper during or after folding. However, as the folding operation progresses, the spacing between the sheets becomes narrow, making it difficult to insert a cutting edge between such sheets after a lapse of time.